Sam Ryder praises ‘unstoppable force’ of Wham in heartfelt video after losing Christmas No 1 race

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sam Ryder has praised the “unstoppable force” of Wham!’s “Last Christmas” after losing to the 1984 hit in this year’s “tight” race for Christmas No 1. The British singer, who took the UK to second place at Eurovision in 2022, was a close contender for this year’s Christmas No 1 spot with his song “You’re Christmas To Me”. Ryder reached the No 2 spot with ‘You’re Christmas To Me’ Ryder continued: “Number two, it’s always been a magic number and that won’t change,” as he thanked his fans for their support “and the belief and the faith”. In another top comment, however, one fan theorised that “You’re Christmas To Me” would have had a better shot at the top spot if it had been released across all streaming platforms.